By David Thompson
When the men's and women's pre-season poll was announced last fall, both the men's and the women's basketball teams from the University of Portland were picked to finish in the bottom three in the league. Five months later, after the entire regular season, both teams sit in the top three in the WCC. Both women's head basketball coach Jim Sollars and men's head basketball coach Eric Reveno were rewarded for their outstanding work by receiving the WCC Coach of the Year Award.
Sollars, in his 22nd year as head coach, earned his fifth COY award. Sollars took a team that was picked to finish seventh out of eight teams in the preseason to a second place finish in league play. The winningest coach in WCC history led Portland to its best regular season finish since the 1997-1998 season.
Junior Laiken Dollente was one of five Pilots on the women's side to receive post season accolades along with Sollars. Dollente was selected as a WCC All-Conference Performer. It is the second time being selected to the All-WCC team for Dollente, who averaged 15.1 points and 3.1 assists per game. Senior Karlie Burris and sophomores Lauren Angel and Tara Cronin were selected as All-WCC honorable mentions for their performances this year. Burris has once been an honorable mention for the All-Conference team. It was the first post-season distinction for both Cronin and Angel.
Freshman Alexis Gannis was selected to the All-WCC freshman team. Gannis, who averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds and 10 minutes per game, saw an increasing role off the bench as the year progressed.
On the men's side, Reveno is the first Pilot men's basketball coach to win Coach of the Year in more than 30 years. Reveno beat out Gonzaga coach Mark Few and Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennit for the award. While Few led the Bulldogs to an undefeated WCC season and Bennit and the Gaels survived an injury to star sophomore Patty Mills to finish second in the league, it was Reveno's success with a team that had no senior's or preseason All-WCC players that really stood out in the minds of the voters.
Four other Pilots enjoyed post-season awards. Juniors T J Campbell and Nik Ravio were both selected as All-WCC performers and junior Robin Smeulders and sophomore Jared Stohl were recognized as All-WCC honorable mentions.
Campbell, a junior-college transfer was also selected as Co-Newcomer of the Year in the WCC along with Santa Clara freshman Kevin Foster. Campbell led the WCC in 3-point shooting percentage and assists during league play making 60 percent of his shots from long-range and dishing out 4.86 assists per game.
Ravio led the Pilots in scoring averaging 15.2 points per game during conference play. Both Ravio and Smeulders were once chosen as WCC-player of the week. Stohl emerged as the top three-point threat in the WCC making 44 three-point shots in the 14 game season, including nine against San Francisco on January 15.
Both the men and women will look toward post-season play as they compete in the WCC Championships held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada March 6-9. The men open on Saturday at 8:30 PM against the winner of Pepperdine vs. San Francisco, while the women will play Sunday at 2:30 in the semi-finals.
2009 ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
WBB Player of the Year?Courtney Vandersloot, GU
Defensive Player of the Year?Louella Tomlinson, SMC
Newcomer of the Year?Alex Cowling, LMU
Coach of the Year?Jim Sollars, POR
WBB All-WCC First Team?Miranda Ayim, PEP - SO - F?Heather Bowman, GU - JR - F?Laiken Dollente, POR - JR - G?Vivian Frieson, GU - JR - F?Kiva Herman, USD - SR - F?Shay Rollins, USF - SR - G?Amber Sprague, USD - SR - C?Louella Tomlinson, SMC - SO - F?Courtney Vandersloot, GU- SO - G?Renahy Young, LMU - SO - G
WBB All-Freshman Team?Kelly Bowen, GU - G?Dominque Connors, USD - G?Alex Cowling, LMU - F?Alexis Gannis, POR - F?Jazmine Jackson, PEP - G
WBB Honorable Mentions?Lauren Angel, POR?Karlie Burris, POR?Alex Cowling, LMU?Tara Cronin, POR?Lena Gipson, SCU?Nakeya Isabell, PEP?Jazmine Jackson, PEP?Cassady Moore, LMU
2009 WCC CONFERENCE HONORS
Player of the Year?John Bryant, SCU
Defensive Player of the Year?Diamon Simpson, SMC
Co-Newcomer of the Year?T.J. Campbell, POR?Kevin Foster, SCU
Coach of the Year?Eric Reveno, POR
All-WCC First Team?Matt Bouldin, GON - JR - G?John Bryant, SCU - SR - C?T.J. Campbell, POR - JR - G?Josh Heytvelt, GON - SR - C?Dior Lowhorn, USF - JR - F?Patrick Mills, SMC - SO - G?Gyno Pomare, USD - SR - F/C?Nik Raivio, POR - JR - G?Omar Samhan, SMC - JR - C?Diamon Simpson, SMC - SR - F
All-WCC Freshman Team?Keion Bell, PEP - G?Jarred DuBois, LMU - G?Kevin Foster, SCU - G?James Rahon, SCU - G?Marc Trasolini, SCU - F
All-WCC Honorable Mention?Austin Daye, GON - SO - F?Kevin Foster, SCU - FR - G?Steven Gray, GON - SO - G?Jeremy Pargo, GON - SR - G?Robin Smeulders, POR - JR - F?Jared Stohl, POR - SO - G
